Satellite communications systems are proliferating as new communications technology is developed, and as consumer demand for wireless satellite communications increases. The increased demand for wireless data traffic has created a need for higher capacity communications systems. As the spectrum that is allocated to satellite communications is limited, frequency spectrum has become a valuable commodity. Ideally, a satellite system will cover as much territory as possible using the least amount of allocated bandwidth possible while compromising capacity as little as possible.
A common method used in the art of multi-beam communications systems is to reuse a given frequency in as many of the beams from an orbital location as possible, rather than using a unique frequency for each additional beam. Any frequency reuse pattern must, however, take into account that the capacity per bandwidth can be compromised by interference between proximal or adjacent spot beams of common frequencies. Additionally sharing satellite transmit power between beams is often a key limitation on the achievable reuse.
In today's evolving market, another very desirable quality of a frequency reuse pattern is to provide both short-term and long-term flexibility in allocating capacity and satellite transmit power between the spot beams in the frequency reuse pattern. Short-term flexibility allows a provider to respond, for example, to changes in capacity requirements due to variations in time zones. Long-term flexibility is desirable to provide for new capacity requirements as new technologies are developed and marketed. Achieving such flexibility has often been restricted by the frequency reuse approaches of current systems. Finally, here is also interest from operators in the long term growth potential of a system.